Mill Valley Arts Fest Draws More Than 8,000

The sun filtered through the redwood trees in Old Mill Park this weekend, lighting up everything from blown glass vases to handmade pottery, woodwork, jewelry and more as 145 artists from around the region showed off their goods at the 56th annual Mill Valley Arts Festival.

Check out our photo gallery.

“This is a quiet morning for us,” board president and artist Sarah Suloff said around 11 a.m. on Saturday as the festival got underway. But it didn’t stay that way.

Although organizers are still tallying up the results, they estimate around 8,500 people showed up this year.

“It’s the perfect weather for the festival,” Suloff said. “Last year we were rained on.”

The crowd was all smiles as they wandered from booth to booth, asking questions, collecting cards from artists, and purchasing one-of-a-kind items. A storyteller kept many of the children entertained, and everyone enjoyed the live music as it filtered throughout the park.

“People love it,” Suloff said of the festival. “It’s one of the few community events that’s still surviving.”

With school starting, and families who were away during the summer now back in town, it was not only a chance to check out some local artists, but also a reunion for many in the Mill Valley community. Leading up to it, ‘I’ll see you at the festival!’ was not an uncommon phrase as people bumped into each other on the street.

“This is where I’ll see people I went to high school with,” said Suloff, who graduated from Tam High. “This event is like a homecoming.”  

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